One Blogging Mistake I'll Never Make Again (But I'm Not Sorry About It)
February 04, 2014
This is the first in a four-part series...no, it's not. One thing I've learned is to never say you have multiple posts coming up unless they're 100% finished and in the can. The other is to never apologize for your writing–or lack of writing. Just write what you're going to write and keep moving.
Blogging Mistake #1: Don't Promise Future Articles Unless They're Already Done
In Leiden (2010), talking about Git and ExpressionEngine.
Over at devot:ee I started a series of articles in 2009 addressing the issue of how to use the Git version control system with ExpressionEngine, the CMS with which I have the most familiarity. Back then, Git was the new hotness and everyone was trying to integrate it into their ExpressionEngine workflow. At the time, I was seen as authoritative enough to speak on the subject at a conference held in the Netherlands in 2010. My presentation and notes are still online here. I probably was able to speak because of an article I wrote on the subject.
The first (and last...but who knew?) article was titled " Version Control for ExpressionEngine Using Git (Part 1)." See the "(Part 1)" in the title? Never do that unless you have the other parts ready to go. I still get emails to this day asking if Part 2 was ever written or ever will be. I practically needed to create a stock email to respond to the inquiries about Part 2. Part 2 was started, but never finished. If I were to pick it up now, the content and direction would be so different, that it wouldn't make any sense to pursue it. Ah well, lesson learned. Never again!
(I did eventually turn that supposed "series" into a book in 2015: The Guide to ExpressionEngine® Development, where I go into great detail about using ExpressionEngine and Git.)
Proof that Part 2 at least got started. Now I have closure.
Blogging Mistake #2: Never Apologize for Not Writing
I see this often enough and don't ever want to be guilty of it myself: writing a post apologizing for not writing enough posts. (E.g., "I've been so busy! Sorry everyone for my lack of posts here. I know you all were waiting with baited breath.")
Don't bother writing a post apologizing for not blogging enough, or for being "late." If you really think about it, that is not something your reader has any interest in. Furthermore, that post will then sit out there, indexed by the Search Engines That Be, whether you end up writing on a more regular schedule or not. Your visitor doesn't know, or care, that you've been busy with other things. They don't know that you're not living up to some writing schedule you have in your head. Just write what you're going to write, and leave it at that. I'm not apologizing for not blogging since (best guess) 2005. I'm just writing again, and that's that.
Ryan spends most of his time as Mystery Supply Co. He's been floating through space with you since the 70's. King of Michigan.